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"WE NEED PEOPLE TO COME BACK,
THE STORES ARE OPEN, THE
RESTAURANTS ARE OPEN, WE'RE
READY FOR PEOPLE TO COME BACK
AND ENJOY OUR NEW NORMAL, A
BETTER NORMAL." AT FIRST
GLANCE, SEEING THE DESTRUCTION
OF HURRICANE MATTHEW, THERE IS
NO WAY YOU WOULD THINK,
DAUFUSKIE ISLAND WOULD BE OPEN
FOR BUSINESS."THE HURRICANE IS
OVER, A GOOAMOUNT OF CLEAN
UP IS STILL YET TO BE DONE BUT
IT'S NOT IMPEDING PEOPLE'S
ABILITY TO GET AROUND THE
ISLAND AND ENJOY WHAT THERE IS
TO ENJOY ON DAUFUSKIE." BUT
THROUGH A TREMENDOUS COMMUNITY
EFFORT, THEY ARE READY FOR THE
TOURISTS TO RETURN AND THEY
NEED IT, BECAUSE SO MANY
DEPEND ON THAT INCOME."IT'S
OUR LIFEBLOOD TO HAVE, WE LOVE
THEM, IF THEY DON'T COME, I
DON'T HAVE A JOB, BLOODY POINT
DOES NOT EXIST ANYMORE IF THEY
DON'T COME." "THEY NEED AS
MANY TOURISTS BACK AS WE CAN
GET, NOW THROUGH THE HOLIDAYS,
WE'RE BACK AND WE'RE
GOOD,POWER, WE'VE GOT
EVERYTHING WE HAD BEFORE, MAY
LOOK A LITTLE DIFFERENT BUT
WE'VE GOT EVERYTHING WE HAD
BEFORE, MAY LOOK A LITTLE
DIFFERENT, BUT WE'VE GOT
EVERYTHING WE HAD BEFORE."
ANOTHER PRIME EXAMPLE THAT
TOURISM IS BACK UP AND RUNNING
HERE ON DAUFUSKIE ISLAND IS
THE DAUFUSKIE ISLAND RUM
COMPANY..THEY'VE BEEN CLOSED
SINCE OCTOBER 1ST BUT AS OF
WEDNESDAY, THEY'VE REOPENED
THEIR DOORS AND THEY WELCOME
THE BUSINESS."IT WAS DIFFICULT
FOR US TO GO THAT LONG WITHOUT
HAVING ANY SALES, BUT THE
BIGGEST PART OF GETTING
REOPENED WAS THE EXTERNAL
CLEANUP, A DISTILLERY SITTING

Three weeks ago, our area was bracing for the arrival of Hurricane Matthew.

For Daufuskie Island, tHe devastation left behind was great.

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But the town has picked itself back up. The recovery process is underway and they want you to come back and visit.

"We need people to come back," said Tammy Helmuth,Daufuskie Island resident. "The stores are open, the restaurants are open, we’re ready for people to come back and enjoy our new normal, a better normal."

At first glance, seeing the destruction of Hurricane Matthew, there is no way you would think, Daufuskie Island would be open for business.

"The hurricane is over," said Tony Chase, Owner, Daufuskie Island Rum Company. "A good amount of clean up is still yet to be done but it’s not impeding people’s ability to get around the island and enjoy what there is to enjoy on Daufuskie."

But through a tremendous community effort, they are ready for the tourists to return and they need it, because so many depend on that income.

"It’s our lifeblood to have, " said Rocket Rossman, Dir. of Operations, Bloody Point Golf Course. "We love them, if they don’t come, I don’t have a job, bloody point does not exist anymore if they don’t come."

"They need as many tourists back as we can get, now through the holidays," said Ashley Hollingsworth, Daufuskie Island. "We’re back and we’re good,power, we’ve got everything we had before, may look a little different but we’ve got everything we had before, may look a little different, but we’ve got everything we had before."

Another prime example that tourism is back up and running on Daufuskie Island is the Daufuskie Island Rum Company. They’ve been closed since October 1, but as of Wednesday, they’ve reopened their doors and they welcome the business.

"It was difficult for us to go that long without having any sales," said Tony Chase. "But the biggest part of getting reopened was the external cleanup, a distillery sitting vacant for three weeks has a lot of issues that have to be resolved inside as well as outside."